the Pilot's Lady
by Padshii Angel
Summary: Six years ago he walked out her door to join the resistance, six years ago she thought she would never see him again. Then the First Order took her from the life she had built for her two young sons without him and he came right back into her life. can she find it in her heart to forgive him? Part 1 of Dameron
1. Chapter 1

"Hirani Dameron-"

"Corvick." The tiny woman interrupted coldly.  
The tall, whippet thin man with pale red hair looked at her coldly with his bulging ice blue eyes.

"Hirani Dameron, born Hirani Corvick to Lyn Seine a whore on the lower levels of Coruscant and Garran Corvick an astro mechanic on Yavin 4 where you have resided almost your entire life." He started again through clenched teeth, looking down at the data pad in his hands.  
"At sixteen you were married to one Flight officer Poe Dameron, who quickly rose through the ranks to Captain within the Republic Force, and for the last six years you have worked in Korg's Cantina with no sign of your husband." He paused to look at the half naked woman strapped to the interrogation slab in front of him.  
"We already know he joined the rebel scum.  
What we want to know is where their secret base is located."

"I've never heard of him." She said coolly. "He sounds like a bastard though." The man in front of her smirked briefly before looking up at her and turning the pad so she could see.

"You can lie all you want Madam Dameron. We have your entire history in our files." He returned smugly. She refused to look. She knew it would all be there. The date of their wedding, pictures of her and her husband respectively as well as together, both of their birthdays, the day the twins were born, pictures of them both, all of the data on the twins.

"Then you know that I got that job at Korg's after my husband walked out on me while I was pregnant with the twins you monsters stole from me." She returned with a snarl. "I am not married anymore, for all I know my ex-husband is dead."  
He made a sympathetic sound in his throat as he stiffly rose and crossed the room behind her.

"It's alright Madam Dameron." He crooned from behind her.

"Corvick. My name is Hirani Corvick!" She snapped impatiently.

He continued as if she had not spoken; "We just want to ask you a few questions about your husband's involvement with the rebel scum. As the wife of one of their most famed pilots you might have some valuable information." She snorted derisively.

"I haven't spoken to that man in six years. For all I know he has been whoring his way through the galaxy." She stated dismissively.

The searing hot brand was pressed to her right shoulder without warning and she screamed in agony as the acrid stench of burning flesh permeated the room.

"Just tell me what I want to know and this will stop." He urged her. "I take no pleasure in doing this to you." The obvious excitement in his voice betraying the lie. "Where are the rebel scum hiding?"

"I don't know!" She cried out, sobbing with relief as the brand was removed from her tortured flesh, her chest heaving as her lungs laboured for breath. "I haven't spoken to him since he walked out." She added in a broken voice.

"I don't believe you." Her tormentor snarled as he pressed the brand to her exposed ribs this time.

On it went for hours, a new place to press the brand, a new question that she couldn't answer.  
Finally she was released from the chair and taken to the medical bay where her burns were given minor treatment, and then she was cuffed to that infernal chair again, a nutrient shot injected into her neck, and she was left alone.

On it went; she was whipped bloody, electrocuted, burned, kept awake for days, drugged, and beaten by a squad of storm troopers, shown the training her two children were being forced to endure, hearing those two beautiful boys crying for her and being told she had abandoned them. That she did not love them. That is what had finally broken her.  
Eventually she stopped crying, eventually she stopped responding unless they hurt her, eventually she lost her voice to the continual screams they drew from her. That Hux drew from her.

One day he got careless, he had left her unguarded in her cell with the door wide open, he had done this to her before too, she did not even try to escape this time. The first time he had done it he had just shown her what was being done to her children; he had told her where they were being kept, on the training facility on a new base that was being built.  
She had tried to escape, planning to find them and bring them home, to bring as many children as she could home with her, she had made it as far as the hangar, where Hux himself was waiting for her.

"Here's the cell." She heard a stormtrooper say. "The rumour is she's related to a big shot in the resistance."  
She flinched, clearly this was a new torture that had been thought up for her.

"Kriff!" She heard a familiar voice suddenly, a voice from long ago, stirring something lost in the back of her mind. "What did you people do to her?" Her restraints were removed, but she still did not move.

"I don't think you want to know." The stormtrooper seemed sheepish. "She's been here for thirty standard cycles. I'm not sure it's a good idea to take her with us, but I can't leave her here knowing that the General has been handling most of her interrogations himself."

"I'd kill you if you tried anyway." The voice replied, as the owner stepped towards her. "Come on Rani. Let's get you out of here." She felt warm calloused hands on her brutalised flesh and flinched as he carefully lifted her off the slab.

"I'll find something we can use to disguise you." The stormtrooper said, and she heard him walk away quickly.  
Her eyes drifted shut as blackness took her.

 **Hey guys, I'm not going to even pretend that I'm going to be reliable with this story. I figured out the problem I've been having with my writing, I just wasn't enjoying it so I wasn't putting out content that I'm happy with.  
As long as I am enjoying myself I am going to continue writing it.  
With this particular story I am just going with the flow and seeing what happens, that was a huge part of my problem, I wasn't letting the words flow I was planning them instead of free forming.**


	2. Chapter 2

Poe was amazed that they made it to the hangar with very little mishap; he had wrapped her in his clothes as soon as the defecting stoomtrooper had brought him some armour. They selected a TIE Fighter and he shed the too tight armour quickly before climbing up.

"I'll climb in and you pass her to me and then get in." He said as he was slipping into the cockpit.

"Will you be able to fly with her in the way?" The trooper asked as he lined the unconscious woman up with the hatch.

Poe smirked as he guide her legs down between his, settling her into his lap and initiating the start up sequence as the trooper then dropped into the other seat in the cockpit.

"No problem, I've always wanted to fly one of these things." Poe answered with a cocky grin. "Can you shoot?" He asked over his shoulder to the other man in the tight cockpit.

"Blasters I can." Came the response.

"Okay, same principle."He rapidly flicked switches above his head, one arm wrapped securely around Rani so she wouldn't be jostled too badly. "Use the toggle on the left to switch between missiles, cannons and mag pulse. Use the sight on the right to aim. Triggers to fire." He wrapped his hands around the handles, resting his thumbs on the accelerator and brake.

"This is very complicated." The storm trooper muttered as Poe took off with the ship.

They pulled out of the bay and made for the exit, stopping with a jolt as a fuel cable snapped taught, tethering them to the ship.

Rani stirred briefly in his lap and he made a soothing noise deep in his throat before rapidly moving to release them from the ship, listening to the low rapid beeping of the alarm.

"I can fix this." He assured the younger man.  
Outside he could hear the zip of laser fire as the First order started firing at them and he worked harder to release them.

There was a rough whine followed by a loud detonation as Poe's companion returned fire, taking out several stormtroopers with the blasts from the mag pulse, a set of large explosions to the left as three TIE Fighters were taken out in their bays.

"I got it." Poe announced as the cable finally came loose and they shot out the hangar. He whooped in elated shock as he was thrown back in the seat.  
"This thing really moves!" He called out, his excitement quickly taking over. They circled around and he flew under the belly of the ship they had just escaped.

~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~

"Alright, we gotta take out as many of these cannons as we can or we're not going to get very far." That voice again. It was terse but oddly comforting, even as she felt the surface she was pressed against rumble under her cheek, even as it moved rapidly around her. She could hear the whine of an ion engine as whatever they were in moved swiftly through the void of space.

"Alright." She heard someone else say.

"I'm gonna get us in position, just stay sharp." The surface rumbled again and she realised she was sitting in someone's lap.  
A vague memory of being curled in someone's lap in the cockpit of a RZ-1 A-Wing Interceptor flickered at the edge of her clouded mind. That was so long ago it didn't even feel like her memory anymore.

In a rare moment of bravery she shifted, and an arm came around her shoulders briefly, before disappearing again. "It's alright beautiful, we'll be safe soon." He murmured. "Just keep your head down for me I need to see."

"Please stop. I don't know anything." She managed a painful whisper with her destroyed throat.

"Hush Rani." He said, letting go of the toggle in his right hand long enough to stroke her hair searing pain burning through her at the contact. "You're not with them anymore." She whimpered in response, hoping this new torture would end soon, whatever it was meant to be, not wanting to remember whatever was pushing forward at the pet name.

"Up ahead!" He called to the other. "Up ahead! You see it? I got us dead centre, it's a clean shot."  
She heard a murmur over his shoulder but she didn't dare make a sound or move. Fear and pain kept her still and silent as the small craft they were in raced through the void.

She heard a pair of explosions ahead of them and they were flying through incandescent, hot light for a brief moment, the two men cheering.

"DID YOU SEE THAT? DID YOU SEE THAT!" the other one crowed triumphantly.

"I saw it." The familiar one replied, the longer she was in this cockpit the more that memory tugged at her mind, trying to reach forward, smooth hands, trailing up her ribs, those same hands covering hers over the toggle, someone kissing her behind her small delicate ear, fingers stroking through her sensitive hair.  
That voice she couldn't quite remember whispering things in her ear, things she couldn't remember. "Hey what's your name?"

That rumble snapped her out of half memories again as he twisted slightly underneath her, his arm wrapping around her protectively again.

"FN2187." The stormtrooper that was helping to trick her.

"What!" The one that held her sounded so affronted.

"That's the only name they ever gave me." Came the response from behind them and he settled back.

"Well I ain't using it." Came the declaration. "F-N, huh? Finn. I'm gonna call you Finn. Is that alright?"

"Finn…" The stormtrooper tested the name out on his tongue. "Yeah. Finn, I like that."

"I'm Poe. Poe Dameron." The name drew forth the memory and she whimpered, as it sucked her down.

 _"I'm Poe." He had said, holding his hand out to her. "Poe Dameron, I hear you're the best astromechanic in the system."_

 _"Hirani Corvick." She replied with a laugh. "You're thinking of my father Garran Corvick." She wiped engine grease off her tiny hands and took his proffered hand._

 _"Well you're certainly the most beautiful." He replied with an appreciative gleam in his eye as he took in the faint moss coloured markings on her pink cheeks, her long dark green hair tumbled in a riot of loose curls down her back, framing her round face, her wide honey gold eyes flashing mischievously._

"Good to meet you Poe!" the newly named Finn declared excitedly.

"Good to meet you too Finn." Poe replied. "The woman we rescued is my wife Hirani. You have no idea how glad I am we found her."

Hirani had brief flashes of memory, of a wedding; she didn't know the world. In front of her stood Poe, looking handsome in his uniform, her wearing a traditional wedding costume for her clan; of an argument, and Poe walking out the door as she wept.

"One's coming towards you! My right, your left do you see it?" Poe was talking rapidly and Hirani raised her head to look.  
 _Cannon fire_. She thought vaguely, barely responding as Poe pushed her head down again, making soothing sounds in his throat.

"Hold on." Finn replied behind them. "I see him!" He fired rapidly hitting one.

"Just rest Rani." Poe murmured so only she could hear him. "We'll get you safe soon. There are medics at the base who can patch you up and you'll have plenty of work to keep you busy." He told her softly as the blackness took her again.

She jolted awake when their little craft was hit and began spiralling out of control.

"The engine's out! I can't get it back online!" Poe announced through gritted teeth as he fought the dead ship. "We're going to crash. Rani, I need you to hold onto me. I promise we'll get through this."

Self preservation taking over, Hirani slipped her damaged fingers under the straps of his harness and curled into a ball, her head tucked under his chin squeezing her eyes shut as he continued to futilely battle with the disabled engine around her, within minutes they had hit the ground, both of them being thrown violently from the cockpit through the glass of the front visor.

Poe wrapped himself around her as best he could, taking the brunt of the first impact with the hot sandy ground and losing his grip on her. They flew apart, bouncing hard across the desert.

Hirani screamed silently as all of her injuries were jostled, her shredded vocal cords protesting vehemently once again, and then her vision went black once more as she slipped into blissful oblivion.

~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~

"No!" Poe gasped as he woke with a start, getting up with a groan as his injuries protested and looking around him at the moonlit desert, his heart constricting as he saw the prone form halfway up a silver sand dune. "No." He breathed again, running to her body.  
He heard the faint, whimper as he turned her over and sobbed with relief, dropping beside her on the scorching sand.  
"We can't stay too long." he said to her, laying back on the coarse sand.  
She was familiar, but he couldn't place where.

He looked at her. She could almost be sleeping, if he ignored the extensive injuries covering her slight frame.  
"We won't last long if we stay here." he added thoughtfully before pulling himself up. "Let's get started. The sooner we get moving the sooner we can get off this rock." He added, trying to force cheerfulness he did not feel into his voice.

 **Take two. I'm not doing my spiel again.**

 **OH hey by the way guys, I don't own anything except Rani. Yall know who owns everything else.**


	3. Chapter 3

She woke slowly, the sounds around her coming from very far away, her eyes fluttered open slowly and she took a moment to understand what she was looking at.  
She was draped across someone's shoulder, her throat was sore and the nerves in her hair were screaming in agony, there was not a single part of her body that was not in pain.

The sun beat down on her from overhead and the person carrying her was stumbling under her weight as they made their way down the sand flat that wound between imposing dunes.

She couldn't understand for a few moments why her body was protesting so vehemently and then she vaguely remembered being taken by the first order.

She heard a groan and she was set down hard on the ground and then a whump as her bearer dropped beside her with a grunt.

"Finn! _Finn!_ " She heard him say and she started to remember the escape from the cruiser she had been kept on.

"Poe?" She tried to ask tentatively, her throat screeching in indignant protest, stars swam before her eyes but she could remember parts of the escape.

"Rani?" Poe asked, looking at her then and she cautiously turned to look at her hero. "You're awake, thank the stars."  
He seemed overjoyed to see she was awake. His eyes were slightly glazed and there was a ginormous egg on the side of his head, was he conferred? No, he was concussed.

Where were they? She opened her mouth to speak but thought better of it when she remembered how much the futile attempt had hurt last time she tried.  
"We're going to need water, soon." Poe said matter of factly after a while.

Rani nodded her understanding. It was so hot, if they didn't get water and get out of the sun they wouldn't last much longer.  
She knew she would be the first to go, she was worse off than he was.  
Poe stood up slowly and turned to her. "Do you think you can stand?" He asked, watching her tentative nod.

"Good idea, no talking, it might help us conserve some water." He muttered as he helped her up and then fell silent as he tried to let go of her once she was up.

The small woman began to topple and he caught her, nearly falling to the ground again himself, making her hiss with pain as his arms pressed against her aching torso.  
He adjusted his grip on her and they continued forward, leaning heavily on each other as they trudged doggedly forwards through the blinding desert.

They had been walking for several hours, the relentless sun steadily rising behind them when the welcome whine of an approaching speeder echoed off the dunes around them.

Poe lowered her down and turned, squinting into the harsh light.

Rani twisted where she sat and watched the barren land behind them as well, seeing a dark spot appear between the imposing dunes, expanding rapidly as it shot through the hazy waves of a semi distant mirage, taking the blessed shape of a rather ugly, but obviously serviceable speeder, truly the sweetest sight she had ever seen.

Poe whooped and began jumping up and down, flailing his arms like a madman as he tried to hail the driver of the magnificent apparition.

Rani's gut clenched with dread when the vehicle showed no signs of slowing, then she heard the telltale whistle of a rapidly decelerating engine and the vehicle slowed, angling to the right as it stopped beside them.

She huffed a relieved sigh as it's straining engine descended to the ground in a slow, almost elegant movement accompanied by a low whine.

A figure that just reached her waist in height promptly jumped from the open cockpit.

A Blarina, mirrored eyeshades swept across the broad face so characteristic of his species, resting on the bridge of his short wide snout.  
He scrutinised Poe, then turned his eyes to her.

"It's a bit warm for a romantic sojourn in this country my friends." The speeder's scaly occupant announced.

Poe grunted his acknowledgement, drawing the squat male's attention back to the much taller human.

"It's not by choice, I assure you." He said, not too subtly stepping in front of the woman, cutting the Blarina's view of her.

"And where then have you come from?" The newcomer's wide toothy grin displayed far more teeth than a human mouth. "Or do you both just enjoy Jakku's gentle sunshine?"

Rani knew he was toying with them. It was clear to see they were both in some trouble.

"We're lost." Poe answered honestly.

The Blarina released a soft hiss.

"Lost, indeed. Where's your speeder friends?"

Rani looked to Poe, waiting to hear his reply.

"Same place as we are. Lost." Rani dropped into a reclining position as her arm gave way and she hissed again in pain.

"I am Naka Iit. A scavenger of sorts." The Blarina was saying, looking between the carefully. "I might just scavenge you."

Rani saw Poe tense in front of her and she was intensely aware of the fact that neither of them had a weapon, and in the event of a confrontation he was hardly in any condition to offer much to their defence, and she was just completely useless with her injuries, even to a Blarina who was considerably smaller than either one of them.

The Blarina as a species while not exceptionally strong were well known for their speed, both physically and verbally and this one was no exception.

Rani closed her eyes briefly and mustered the strength to speak but Poe beat her to it.

"It is said that the Blarina are an exceptionally hospitable people." He was saying, evidently deciding as she had that words were the best defence either of them had.

Naka Iit's grin was replaced with a look of utter astonishment.

"If that is true then it is referring to some other Blarina." The little person returned, his grin spreading across his face once more. "That certainly doesn't sound like me."

"You would be wasting your time with us." Rani butt in hoarsely, tears springing to her eyes with the effort of even that small sentence, drawing the attention of both males in front of her.

"What did you say girl?" Naka asked her shrewdly, removing his eyeshades to stare intently at her with his gold eyes. "Speak up."

With an anguished look she patted her throat lightly and beckoned him closer.  
Turning his eyes onto Poe he waved the human back away from him before crouching beside her.

"You'd be wasting your time with us." She tried again, devolving into a coughing fit that tore her throat even more.

"We have nothing worth scavenging." Poe finished for her, having heard what she had said to the squat creature in front of them.

"Then what, exactly, are the two of you doing out here in this blasted wasteland with 'nothing'?" Naka demanded incredulously.

~/~/~/~/~/~/~

Poe felt himself swaying dangerously where he stood.

He was hot, he was thirsty, he was exhausted, his head hurt and his wife was in far worse condition than he was, and except for this irritating Blarina the pair were alone in the middle of nowhere on a nowhere world.

Wondering if the heat had driven him insane he said the first words that came to mind.

"We have just escaped the First Order by stealing one of their advanced TIE fighters, used it to shoot up one of their Star Destroyers, and crash-landed somewhere near here."

Naka stared between the two of them incredulously and Poe held his breath, looking down at Hirani as his worry for her condition grew.

The two were startled by the loud, boisterous guffaw that came from the Blarina in response to Poe's totally honest and totally insane statement.

"I'll wet my zinz if you aren't the most barefaced liar I've encountered in twenty years of scavenging on this sandbox!" He announced as he wiped at the mirthful tears streaming from his bulging eyes.  
"Come with me my friend. The Blarina _do_ say that much good accrues to anyone who helps the mad.  
Liar or madman, whichever you may be, it amuses me to lend you assistance." He held his hand out to Poe who looked at him with relief before turning to help Hirani off the ground.

"No, leave her, she is almost dead." Poe's arms tightened around her involuntarily and he could hear her breathing pick up in fear.

"I would rather not." Poe said plaintively. "She is important to me and useful to have around, there is plenty of life in her still." The Blarina eyed them speculatively once more before lowering his eyeshades.

"Very well. The spirits have placed you here to alleviate my boredom. Come. You will have to sit on the back madman."

"If it's all the same to you, I'd be more happy if you could spare us some water." Poe mumbled as he carefully helped his ailing wife into the tiny cockpit of Naka's battered speeder.

The passenger seat he guided her into was designed for another Blarina, not a hybrid woman of his wife's size and so was a tight squeeze for her, and then he fumbled up onto the back of the seat, dropping his legs down onto either side of her.  
Poe gratefully accepted the slender metal canteen that was offered to him, complete with sipping tube, holding it to Hirani's dry lips first, as he quietly urged her to drink some of the life saving fluid.

"We need to get offworld." He turned to the Blarina as the little man climbed into the driver's seat and started the engine again, taking off across the desert, careful to not dislodge his two new passengers. "As quickly as possible."

"Of course you do." Naka replied soothingly as he eyed the woman between Poe's legs. "Jakku is no place for a madman and a dead woman." He looked to his left. "We are not far from Niima Outpost, but I'm not going to take you there.

Local commerce is more or less run by a corpulent sack of slurge who goes by the name of Plutt."

When she weakly pushed it away he sipped of the sweetest, coolest water he had ever tasted in his life.

"I've had words with him in the past and don't wish to confront him again." Naka was continuing and Poe nodded, looking down as Hirani closed her eyes, leaning her head back against his thigh, her lush, full mouth going slack as she slipped into a light sleep.

He settled the canteen beside her safely when he had drunk as much as he dared he looked out at the desert ahead of them, feeling that the least he could do was acknowledge their rescuer's predilections.

"You're very fond of words." He noted conversationally.

"As are all Blarina." Naka replied, puffing up slightly with pride at the unintended compliment. "I once finished fifth in a homeworld soliloquy competition.  
It is one of our most notable traits."

"Any others?" Poe inquired politely, prodding Hirani to ensure she would still wake up.  
Naka grinned delightedly once more, his sharp teeth glistening almost threateningly in the bright sunlight.

"We're also famously accomplished liars." The Blarina glanced at the battered pair beside him once more.  
"I'll take you as far as Blowback Town. There's a Blarina merchant there named Ohn Gos who is afflicted with the sorry habit of listening sympathetically.  
I'll introduce you. After that you're on your own."  
Naka Iit went quiet after his statement, focusing instead on handling the speeder across the dunes, accelerating slightly.

Poe was left to his thoughts, until a gout of sand exploded from the dune off to their left.

Leaning out, Naka looked behind them, uttered a loud hiss that woke Hirani with a start and tromped the speeder's accelerator.

Poe clutched at the seat on either side of his tiny wife, his stomach clenching uncomfortably at the unexpected acceleration.

"What's wrong?" Poe asked as he checked Hirani.

"Look for yourself?" Naka responded, jerking his head back behind them as he focused on driving.

Twisting, Poe looked behind them.  
Another, much larger speeder was gaining on them. A second shot from it blew a crater in the dune face on his side.

"Strus clan." Naka was bleak. "A motley collection of grunks who can't do salvage, repair, trade or anything else so they steal from those who can."

"They're not very good shots." Poe pointed out, prompting a derisive snort from Naka.

"Idiot madman." He declared, turning to face Poe. "If they blow us up they acquire nothing but garbage." He looked forward again. "They shoot to disable, not destroy."

"They're catching up," Poe told him, looking back at the thieves. "Can't this thing go any faster?"

"I am a salvager, not a podracer!" Naka Iit snapped. "My craft is built for hauling not speed."

"Then let me drive." Poe said after a moment's consideration. He leaned over to try to swap with Naka.

"What!" The Blarina spluttered. "Are you insane?" He batted at Poe's hands. "What am I saying? Of course you are!" He shoved at Poe again. "Why should I let you take control of my only real asset?"

"Because I am the best pilot you have ever met." Poe said in a matter of fact voice as he tried again, another burst slammed into the flat almost beneath them.

After several moments of Naka gave in, sliding up onto the back of the seat, his short legs dangling on either side of the stirring woman.

He muttered about madmen and dead women, bemoaning the loss he thought was imminent.

As soon as they had switched positions, Poe turned the clumsy craft to the left and began to slow.

"Giving up already?" Naka's words oozed sarcasm. "I could have done as much without your help."

"Indicate that we're going to surrender and then be ready to hold on." Poe didn't take his eyes off the speeder's controls. He smiled briefly, the controls seemed very straightforward.

"Yes of course, after all we are surrendering are we not?" The salvager sighed. "I'll have to ask Ohn for a loan." He turned and started waving. "I _hate_ starting over." No more shots came from Strus clan.

Poe continued decelerating as he looked to their pursuer, waiting until he could make out the faces and assorted appendages of the triumphantly crowing thieves.

"Hold on." He murmured when the larger speeder was as close as he was willing to let it get to them, then he abruptly turned the nose of the speeder upward and gave it full power, promptly shooting skyward, the startled cry from Naka Iit letting him know he had almost lost their rescuer.

The sudden explosive burst kicked what seemed like half the dune beneath them up and back, dumping a gritty shower atop the big speeder that had slowed to a stop behind them.

The strus that were not wearing protective goggles received eyefuls of the hot sand, the bulk of the grit wormed its way into every opening.

As Naka's craft soared over the crest of the dune a sharp grinding noise reached their ears, the other speeder had ingested enough sand to render it temporarily inoperable.

The sound, like the threatening speeder faded rapidly astern.  
Naka was emitting a gleeful cackling hiss beside him and he looked over, seeing Hirani smiling tiredly as well, her enchanting honey eyes worryingly dull.

"Oh joy! Oh pleasurable delight!" He felt the clawed hand of Naka Iit clap his shoulder. "Saved by a madman!" The Blarina pointed across the desert.  
"Our destination lies that way. I find myself suddenly amenable to letting you drive. Are you really with the resistance?"

"Yes." Poe replied, silently comparing this speeder to the TIE he had managed to steal.

"Then you truly are crazy." Poe pulled a wry face at the statement.

"We of the resistance prefer the term 'courageous'"

Hirani snorted indelicately then raised an arm and pointed at the Blarina behind her, nodding twice.

"I see little difference." Straightening on his perch, Naka Iit picked at an incisor with a single claw. "I owe you my madman friend." He added after a moment. "Beyond just picking you both out of the desert. I will intercede with Ohn Gos. One way or another we will get you off Jakku!"

"We're grateful." a relieved Poe told him simply.

"What matters the gratitude of madmen and dead women?" Naka hissed with a broad grin.

Poe glanced at the woman, watching her eyes flutter closed, reaching over he checked her pulse, finding it faint but steady.

He turned back to driving.

 **There's a novel that is canon, I fucking love reading it because it has sooooooooooo much detail, so I'm just changing the parts of the story that don't match canon.**

 **Sorry guys.**


	4. Chapter 4

Blowback Town was just a motley collection of dun coloured tents.  
Naka had directed Poe to stop just outside the limits of the town, the pilot carefully woke Hirani and lifted her out, supporting her automatically as they followed the little Blarina to one open sided tent that was full to almost overflowing with parts and oddities.

"Ohn! My friend!" Naka called cheerfully. "I bring a madman and dead woman to meet you."  
Another Blarina appeared from amongst the piles.

"What need have I of meeting a dead woman?" The newcomer asked irritably.

"The madman refused to leave her behind." Naka replied. The other Blarina looked at them and hissed when he saw the pair. "Insisted that there is still life in her."

"The madman is right." The other Blarina said. "Come, I am interested in hearing your story madman." Poe sagged with relief, hurrying to follow Ohn Gos further into the organised bedlam of his tent.

They stepped into a surprisingly neat living area with a small kitchen of sorts to one side and a few low couches taking up the other end of the space.  
"Put her here, Naka could you please get Elav Bondara. His skills will be needed here."  
Poe lowered Hirani to the low couch that he had been directed to as Ohn walked to the small kitchen and began puttering, pulling out simple food and two canteens of water, he came over to the visitors in his tent and handed one to Poe, carefully wedging himself under Hirani to prop her up he helped her sip the water while the pilot drank the water he had been given.

Naka came in then, leading a tall Twi'lek male carrying a heavy sack.  
He walked over to the prone woman, dropping his satchel and lifted her up further, taking over from Ohn who proceeded to bring some of the food over to Poe.

"What trouble are the two of you in?" Elav asked in his heavy Ryl accent as he put the canteen aside and fished a medical scanner out of his bag, running it over her body, his eyes fixed on the little readout.

"I'm with the resistance, she was taken by the First Order for associating with me." Poe told the Twi'lek. "How is she?"

"There is some internal bleeding that needs to be addressed and her vocal cords have been severely strained, it looks like some minor oblique fractures in several of her bones, the external damage is the worst of it though.  
This woman has been tortured."

Poe nodded and looked down, picking at the food he had been given.

"She will need to come to my tent for treatment." Elav continued as he rose and turned to examine Poe. "You, however, will be fine."

"We need to get off the planet as soon as possible." Poe said quietly as he turned back to his food.  
Ohn looked at him speculatively before settling on a smaller couch and patting beside him.

"Tell me everything, and then we will see what we can do." The Blarina said as Poe ate. "Elav will look after your companion." Elav looked at the pair thoughtfully as he pulled out bacta swabs to clean the woman's injuries that had become infected in the desert.

Poe spoke quietly, telling the Blarina everything from his capture to escaping the First Order and being found by Naka Iit.  
Naka told of how Poe had saved them from Strus clan and Ohn listened to everything, making sympathetic noises sporadically.

"Yes." He said at the end. "I will help you, Elav, I will cover the charge for the assistance you are rendering the girl."

"No need." Elav replied as he turned around. "We are of the same clan."

Poe looked at the Twi'lek, frowning at him and then sagging as he recognised the markings that covered the male.

"I thought she was the last of her clan." He voiced quietly. The older man shook his head with a sad smile.

"No, I am still alive, but our clan will die with us. No other clan wants to tie a daughter to me and I see the rings you both wear." Elav Bondara indicated Poe's hand. "No, it is probably best if my clan fades into oblivion."  
The elderly Twi'lek seemed to fold in on himself as if he carried the weight of the galaxy on his shoulders.

"These are for the girl." Ohn interrupted suddenly, handing some clothes to the Twi'lek.  
He turned and grabbed Poe. "We should leave to allow Elav to get your companion more suitably attired. Let us go see about a ship for the two of you."

Poe reluctantly stood up and followed Ohn Gos from his tent to what passed for a dock in this place.

~/~/~/~/~/~

Within two days Hirani had been cleared by her cousin for travel and Ohn helped them load supplies onto the small ship he had acquired for them.  
They set out from the planet, Poe inputting the coordinates for the base and then jumped to hyperspace, letting the autopilot take over from there.

"We should arrive within three standard cycles." He announced as she rose and moved to the back of the transport.  
She fell onto the small bed in the living quarters, allowing herself to relax with an arm over her eyes.

She heard Poe enter the small space a moment later, she very carefully refrained from moving, consciously keeping her breathing deep and even.  
She could hear him dropping fabric on the ground and moments later a blanket was draped over her and his very warm, very naked body was sliding into the bed beside her.

Poe dropped a kiss on her cheek and settled in the bed, slipping one arm under her neck, pushing one of his knees under her thighs and dropping the other arm over her soft stomach his fingers splaying wide on her round hip.

"I missed you." He muttered and then he was breathing as deeply as her, falling asleep quickly.

She lay like that in the arms of her husband, unsure which emotion was most prominent, relief, anger, joy, pain, sadness or lust.  
After a time she decided she was feeling anger most. He had walked away from her after one year of marriage and now, six years later he was curled around her as if nothing had happened.

Tears started to fall and she held back the sobs as best she could, knowing her husband was a light sleeper.

~/~/~/~/~/~

Poe lay beside her, listening to her quiet sniffling and his heart constricted.  
He had caused her immeasurable pain, just by marrying her and then leaving to join the resistance not even a full year later.

He had met her on one of his trips back to Yavin 4 to visit his father, going into the settlement she lived in to get the parts he would need to maintain the generator in his childhood home.  
Two years later they had married in her ancestral home on Ryloth and for that first year of their marriage he had returned home as often as he could, then he had joined the resistance.

The last time he had spoken to his wife it had quickly devolved into the only argument he could remember having with his patient, loving Hirani; in the end he had walked out of their home, praying he would be able to return one day to make it right.

He had never wanted this to be the way they were reunited.  
Without really thinking about it he stroked his thumb over her stomach, humming softly as she cried, cursing himself for his part in what had happened.


	5. Chapter 5

Hirani did her best to steer clear of Poe over the rest of their trip, not wanting to sleep beside him, but unable to help having to share a bed with him.  
She immediately fell into a routine of simple domesticity. Using her damaged throat as an excuse to say nothing to Poe every time he tried to start up a conversation with her.

Instead Poe talked to her at every moment he wasn't busy with the ship. She cleaned the ship and cleaned it again when she didn't have other work to do, even going so far as to check over every inch of the engines she could access, feeling jittery at having no actual work to go about.

Several times Poe had to physically pick her up and put her into the bed, laying beside her to ensure she didn't get up again immediately, forcing her to rest.

He told her everything that had happened to him since leaving six years prior, but she tried not to listen to a word. She didn't want to fall in love with him all over again.  
Problem is she had never stopped loving him, despite the lies she told herself in the long lonely nights she had spent without him.

~/~/~/~/~/~

Poe sat in the cockpit of the small transport, dropping the ship out of lightspeed, feeling at once more content and edgy than he had in the last six years.  
Hirani still had that effect on him he thought with a wry smile.

He looked back at the woman in question, watching her shuffle around as she reordered the living space in the small transport once again.

"Are we there already?" She rasped as she came up behind him.

"No. We're too low on fuel to make it all the way there." Poe said as he prepared to enter the atmosphere of a small moon nearby. "We'll refuel here and go the rest of the way immediately afterwards.

"That's Jhas Krill." She stated as she looked out the visor at the moon they were approaching.

"Yes, we're going to see someone about refuelling." Poe replied as the huge swamp gradually became discernible.  
Hirani slipped into the co-pilots chair and simply watched.

"You're as beautiful as the day I met you." Poe heard himself saying as he turned his eyes to her, allowing himself to simply admire her like he used to.  
The effect his words had on his wife however was not what he expected.

She dropped her head, rising from the seat and leaving the cockpit; with hunched shoulders she hugged her torso almost protectively.  
Cursing softly he stopped the transport and followed her.

"What's wrong Hirani?" He asked, caging her against one wall with his hands on either side of her head.

She stared at his chest silently, everything about her was tense but she resolutely maintained her silence.

"You're worried that we'll be found by the First Order again." He guessed, taking note of her involuntary flinch as he said those words. "Don't. The woman we're going to see has no love for dictators." He continued, scraping one knuckle down her cheek and under her jaw.

Hirani moved then, pressing one hand to his chest and splaying her fingers wide. Poe dropped his hand from her jaw and covered her hand with his larger one.

He sighed and stepped back respectfully when she pushed lightly at him, allowing her to pass him uncontested.

"You can't avoid us forever." Poe murmured quietly as he moved back to the cockpit.

"There hasn't been an us in six years." Hirani responded finally. "You decided that for us when you walked away." Poe listened to her silently, touching down on a seemingly abandoned landing pad.

"We'll discuss this later." He said then, dropping a kiss on her cheek as he made to exit the transport.  
Hirani just watched him go, choosing instead to stay on the shuttle while he went to meet the old woman who appeared warily on the edge of the crumbling landing pad, blaster held at the ready.

~/~/~/~/~/~

"You've found yourself in a right mess there lad." The elderly woman said as she sheathed her blaster and moved to embrace the much younger man.

"Aunt Lana." Poe wrapped his arms around his mother's sister, hugging her as tight as he had once held his mother.

"What do you need Poe?" She asked him bluntly, Lana Bey had never been one to beat around the moon.

"We need fuel to get back to the resistance." He answered as bluntly. "And Hirani needs to see a medic."

"So she did end up joining the resistance with you." Lana seemed unsurprised. "She never could stand to be separated from you for long."

"Not exactly." Poe coughed awkwardly, a mischievous young boy in trouble all over again at the stern look on his elderly aunt's face. "She was captured by the First Order and tortured for information on the resistance." Lana shook her head ruefully and walked up to the small transport shuttle. "I never wanted this war to touch her."

"It is done." Lana replied as she walked up the ramp. "Hirani!" The woman in question walked forward to meet his aunt.

"Lana!" Hirani replied in her still raspy voice. She seemed to collapse in on herself as she fell into the arms of his aunt, tears flowing freely. "They took my babies."  
Those four words hit Poe with the force of their crash on Jakku, knocking the wind out of him.

She'd had children. Poe cursed himself for a fool for thinking she had waited for him to come home.  
He should have known better; she was a beautiful woman and he'd walked away from her, of course she'd met someone else.

Poe looked away from the women, not catching the significant look his aunt levelled on him.

"Let's get you to a medic to see how you're healing lass." Lana said after several minutes. "And then we'll see what we can do about getting you underway Poe."

Poe sat down to eat with his aunt while Hirani was being seen in the settlement's medical facility.

The medical droid had ordered she be put into a bacta tank overnight so Poe had elected to stay for at least a meal with his aunt.

"What's troubling you Poe Dameron?" Lana asked, not looking up at him.

"I feel like such a fool." He blurted out before he could think about it. "I left her behind to protect her and I didn't stop to think that she would move on with her life." He continued in a rush, finally prompting the old woman to lean back and level a steady, too perceptive gaze on him.

"What makes you think she has moved on?" Lana asked after several minutes of silence.

"You heard her. She has children!" Poe said, staring incredulously at his aunt. "I haven't spoken to her in six years! Of course she's moved on!"

"Why don't you ask her about it?" Lana asked him calmly. "After all, you didn't leave her a way to contact you if she needed to."

"Of course I didn't!" Poe spluttered. "It was to protect her from the First Order!"

"Don't shout at me boy. I may be old, but I'm certainly not deaf." Lana snapped at him irritably. "As to your attempt at protecting her from those dogs, you've done a marvellous job of that haven't you?  
She's been taken from her home and had her children taken from her forcibly, do you know what the first order does to the small children they take?"

"No I don't." Poe replied, chastened by her cutting words.

"They're trained as stormtroopers. Then when they have completed their training they are sent to die for the First Order." Lana's calm tone didn't match the horror she described.

"The oldest they'll take is about five years old; I don't know what lies they tell to those children, but when they come out of the training facilities they're so completely indoctrinated into the First Order they don't want to leave."

"Not all of them." Poe responded. "It was a stormtrooper that busted us out." Lana leaned back thoughtfully, staring at the pilot in front of her.

"There's hope for those children then." Lana muttered.

"How do you know so much about the stormtroopers?" Poe asked her.

"There was one that came through here a few months ago, badly injured." Lana responded as she went back to her meal, tucking a stray strand of white hair behind her ear. "She'd been separated from her squad. We patched her up, offered her a new life with us but she was set on returning to the First Order.  
Insisted she wouldn't have lived long if they hadn't taken her in as a young'un. Naturally we took her back to First Order space and left her in the care of them. TJ9951 her code was, she wouldn't tell us her name."

"That was her name." Poe explained. Lana made a derisive noise and looked across the table at him.

"Finish your dinner and then go see to your wife. This talk of stormtroopers sets my teeth on edge." Poe couldn't help chuckling at her crotchety manner.

Later that night he sat in a chair beside Hirani's bacta tank, staring at her as he thought about what he'd found out about her.

"I'm sorry for assuming you'd waited for me." He told her quietly, knowing she couldn't hear him. "I shouldn't be surprised, you're a beautiful woman, and I never asked you to wait for me when I left. I guess I just took it for granted that you would."

Hirani was resting peacefully as the bacta worked on her, looking so small in the large tank. "I hope he's worthy of you." Poe added. "Obviously you love him; you wouldn't have had his children if you didn't.  
I can't say I'm not jealous to be honest. I had hoped to be the man who fathered your children. I'm sorry the First Order took them from you, it wouldn't have happened if I hadn't gone back to Yavin 4 to find you."  
He allowed the numbing confession to roll from his throat. "I just wanted to see that you were alright without me, I had no idea that the First Order was watching me when I went back.  
It's my fault this happened to you. I tried to keep you out of this war and I failed because I needed to know you didn't need me."

He stayed by her side, lapsing into thoughtful silence at the end of his confession, turning his mind to the stormtroopers' lives, thinking about what he could do to restore Hirani's children, at the very least, to their mother, trying to figure out how he could save as many as possible.

Poe jerked awake, unsure when he had fallen asleep, the medical droid that had examined Hirani the day before had come over and was examining her.

"How is she this morning?" The pilot asked.

"She is in fine health and will be ready to leave in a few hours." The droid replied as it started the draining sequence for the tank.  
Poe nodded, waiting for her to be released from the small centre so he could say good bye to her before leaving to return to the resistance.

~/~/~/~/~/~

Hirani followed Poe and Lana out to the landing pad silently.  
Ahead of her the other two spoke quietly and quickly to each other, ignoring her, they stopped at the entrance to the little ship and Poe hugged his aunt who stepped back, giving the pair a semblance of privacy as Poe turned to the younger woman.

"I'm sorry for everything." He told her quietly, keeping a respectful distance between them. "Leaving you was the hardest thing I've ever done, and if I could go back, knowing this would happen to you I wouldn't have left you unprotected."

"Stop Poe." Hirani said gently, forcing herself not to reach for him. "You can't change the past; it is set in stone the minute it becomes reality."

"Is he good to you?" Poe blurted out, confusing Hirani.

"What?" She asked him with a frown.

"The father of your children." He explained. "Is he good to you?" Hirani's eyes lit up in sudden understanding.

"Are you jealous?" She asked after enjoying watching him squirm under her honey gaze for several minutes.

"Yes." The pilot answered honestly. "I just want to know that he treats you right; I can let you go knowing that at least."  
Hirani started laughing then, a hearty chortle that had her gripping her sides as tears of mirth flowed freely from her eyes.  
"I don't understand what's so funny." Poe muttered indignantly. "I'm trying to do the right thing by you and you're laughing at me." He turned to board the ship and she grabbed his arm to stop him, struggling to get her laughter under control.

"It's not that Poe." She finally managed. "You're their father." Poe just stared at her uncomprehending for several moments.

"What?" He finally managed.

"I was pregnant with our two boys when you left." She explained slowly. "I didn't tell you because I didn't know how to contact you when I found out." She could see his mind slowly start to catch up.

"What?" He asked again prompting a long suffering sigh from the little woman in front of him.

"I don't think we really have the time for me to explain it to you Poe." She decided to try instead, walking past him to board the shuttle, stripping out of the jacket his aunt had given her after discarding the worn clothes she'd been given on Jakku.

Poe hurriedly followed her, turning to wave one last time at his aunt.


	6. Chapter 6

Poe lay awake beside his wife that sleep cycle, achingly aware of the sleeping woman beside him.

He hadn't seen any evidence that she had children when he found her, but he hadn't had the guts to go speak to her.  
He'd just watched her as she went about her day.  
But they had two five year old sons, he was a father! A terrible father, he thought ruefully as everything his wife had told him raced around in his head.

A soft beep caught his attention and he carefully slid out of the bed, not bothering to put on his clothes as he padded silently to the cockpit.  
He dropped out of hyperspace and took in the small planet of D'Qar, and a much more perplexing sight.  
A streak of bloody orange light crawled resolutely across the sky, but Poe paid it no mind as he prepared to descend to the planet's surface, opening a comm. line with the base below.

"Base this is Black Leader requesting permission to land." He said into the speaker.

"Black Leader this is Base, please confirm identity." Came the bland response.

"Hotel One Romeo Four Nova One." Poe rattled off his personal code before he hurried to get his clothes on.

"Identity confirmed, proceed to landing bay six." He heard the response as he stumbled back into the cockpit, pulling his pants on as he went. "Welcome back Commander Dameron."  
Poe smiled as he took the controls and guided the ship expertly to the prescribed landing bay, powering down the transport before he pulled his shirt on, tucking it into his still loose pants before fastening them.  
He ran back into the main living space and pulled his boots on as Hirani stirred in the bed.

"We're here." He told her simply as he made for the entrance.  
He heard his wife as she clambered out of the bed and hurriedly pulled on her boots, he saw her slipping on her jacket out of the corner of his eye as she came up beside him, and then she nervously ran her fingers through her still matted hair, hissing as they got caught in the unsavable snarls.

"Jess might know how to fix your hair." Poe told her comfortingly, referring to the tiny woman who had formed a fast friendship with his wife upon meeting each other on the day he married Hirani.  
His entire squadron had claimed Hirani as theirs as soon as they'd met her, he remembered. They'd be thrilled to see her, and he'd get a solid chewing out from each of them in turn for her capture.

The doors to the ship opened and the pair were swarmed by black squadron. Everyone freezing when they saw Hirani standing beside him. Jessika Pava was the first to recover from the shock, immediately wrapping Hirani in a tight hug, followed by Karé Kun, then Temmin 'Snap' Wexley and finally Lu'lo L'ampar.  
Hirani wrapped her arms around Jessika as the two other men in the squadron held all three women silently.

"Why are you here?" Karé finally asked her and Poe shifted aside uncomfortably.

"Poe saved me from the First Order." Hirani said softly, and as one all four of his pilots turned accusing gazes on him.

"Can we discuss this later?" Poe asked as General Leia Organa boarded the ship then, her eyes immediately seeking Poe.

"Commander Dameron, report for debriefing in control immediately." Leia said, her diminutive size belying the noticeable command she basically oozed.

"Yes General Organa." Poe responded.

~/~/~/~/~/~

Hirani watched her husband as he walked away with the living legend, still surrounded by his squadron.

"Come on." Karé said after several minutes of silence. "I'm starving, let's go to the mess."  
The others all groaned, but herded Hirani off the shuttle, leading her to the large hall.  
Jess lead Hirani to a long trestle table to one side of the room while the others split off to collect food for everyone.

All around her unfamiliar people were staring at the newcomer who had so quickly been accepted by Black Squadron.  
She could hear the curious hum that flew through the crowded chamber, but her focus was held by Jess.

"Why haven't you contacted us?" The pilot asked in a low voice. "Six years and no word from you, what gives?"

"I didn't know how." Hirani responded simply, looking at her hands. "Poe made it very clear when he left that he didn't want me anymore, now he's acting like nothing happened. I can't understand it." Jess straightened and looked at the mechanic incredulously.

"Poe never said anything about the last time he spoke to you." The black haired woman murmured. "He never needed to say anything to those of us who knew him best, whatever happened between you hurt him, probably as much as it hurt you."  
The others joined the two women then, Snap was balancing three plates laden with food, sliding one in front of Jess before giving a second to Hirani and then sitting on Jess's other side.  
Lu'lo sat across from Hirani, and Karé sat on Hirani's other side, immediately inhaling her food.

"Poe didn't leave her a means of contacting us." Jess announced as soon as everyone had been seated and Hirani looked down at the frankly unappetising food.  
Lu'lo made a disapproving sound before tucking into his meal and Karé stopped eating to gawp at Hirani.

"That bastard!" Snap muttered. "He knew there was a chance she would need us at some point or another."

"So what's been happening in the last six years?" Lu'lo wisely changed the topic, looking up at Hirani with his species' equivalent of a smile.

"I had to sell my share of the hangar a few months after Poe left to get my brother out of trouble with some gangsters." Hirani started slowly, picking at the food. "Alask lost his share the same day Poe joined the resistance.  
He was thrown out the airlock at the beginning of last year."

"I'm sorry for your loss." Snap said softly.

"Don't be." She replied coldly. "I'm the one who pushed him. He tried to sell me to slavers to cover his debt."  
The all stopped and stared at her then, shocked.

"Who knew you had it in you?" Karé asked rhetorically, a slow grin spreading across her face.

"The price was fifteen thousand units or his head." Hirani shrugged dismissively. "I gave them the coordinates to his body."

"Poe's going to have to stay on his toes from now on." Snap laughed after several minutes. "Rani's got claws. What else is new?"

"I found out around the time I sold the hangar that I was pregnant." She said quietly, earning looks from everyone. "Twin boys. Kes and Garran."

"Does Poe know?" Lu'lo asked quietly, scrutinising the diminutive woman as she nodded.

"Life hasn't been easy for me in the last six years, but it was a good one." Hirani said quietly. "The First Order took my sons at the same time they captured me."  
Everyone stared at their plates in silence, unsure what to say to her.

An alarm went off somewhere in the base and the pilots surrounding her reacted instantaneously, their half eaten plates forgotten as they rose and ran for the hangar.  
Hirani rose a fraction of a second behind them and followed quickly, her husband falling into step beside her in the crowded corridor.

"What is it?" She asked as they ran.

"The Hosnian system has vanished." He replied tersely. "Pocket Nova apparently." He looked so grim.

"What?" Hirani asked stupidly, stopping for a brief moment, but Poe grabbed her arm and kept her moving to ensure nobody crashed into her in the panicked rush of activity.

"The Hosnian system was hit with something that destabilised the cores of all the planets. They're just gone." He lead her outside and pointed out a new, bloody star in the sky as they stepped out of the stream of movement.  
Hirani gasped in horror as tears sprang to her eyes.

"What could possibly cause such a thing?" she breathed, not expecting an answer. Poe said nothing, instead he wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, turning her face against his chest and dropping his head onto hers.

"I have to leave on a mission." Poe murmured into her hair instead. "Black, blue and red squadrons have to escort General Organa's entourage to Takodana." Hirani nodded against his chest.

"Which squadron are you in?" Her voice was muffled by his chest but he still managed to hear her under the hubbub around them.

"I'm the commander for Black and blue squadrons." He replied. "I can't stay behind as much as I want to right now." Hirani nodded again, noticing for the first time that he was no longer wearing the grimy clothes he'd been wearing on the entire trip back to this base, instead wearing a garish orange red nomex flight suit and a dirty white utility bib.  
He released her and hurried on to the hangar, leaving her feeling very small in this hive of frantic activity.


	7. Chapter 7

**I know this might seem ridiculous as you're reading the chapter, but I need to add a trigger warning for self-mutilation to this chapter because Hirani cuts her hair and she actually has nerves in her hair. I'm sorry to anyone who might be upset or otherwise affected by this. If it helps I wasn't immune either, I have harmed myself in the past so I do understand how difficult reading sections of this chapter will be for some.  
** **Also, PTSD trigger warning from this chapter onwards.**

Hirani watched them leave, her eyes fixed firmly on the distinctive black and orange X-Wing until it was out of sight and then she returned quietly to the little shuttle, heading straight for the fresher where she scrutinised her ruined hair in the highly polished durasteel strip mounted into the wall panel that separated the small space from the slightly larger living space.

With a sigh she left in search of something she could use to cut the matted clumps away.  
Finding some electrical shears she returned to the little space and set to work, gritting her teeth at the intense physical pain as each nerve laden strand was severed.  
When the first clump came free Hirani dropped it gasping at the hot burning as the damaged nerves protested, tears streaming freely down her cheeks.  
Doggedly she gripped the next clump and raised the shears again.

~/~/~/~/~/~

Poe gave the order to drop out of lightspeed as he input the commands to his ships computer, taking in the sight of Takodana's breathtaking, lush forest.  
In thirty two years he had only seen one place that was more beautiful, his homeworld.  
They dropped low over a broad river and flew in fast and hot, on his scanners he could see the TIE fighters in the air, most of them dropping to the ground.

"Go straight ahead and don't let these thugs scare you." He said his voice tight with the exhilaration that preceded a fight with the First Order.

"Copy that." He heard Jess say over the line.

"We're with you Poe." Snap said a second later and they shuffled seamlessly into attack formation, all of them preparing to attack.  
Poe dropped back to allow the others forward to meet the wave of scrambling TIE fighters meet them, firing neatly between the S foils of the fighters in front of him before gunning the accelerator and slipping up between them.

He pulled fast, tight manoeuvres; taking out TIE's and ground troops with small, tightly controlled bursts from his guns, never missing his mark.  
Taunting the enemy by simply flying, taking risks that he knew should get him killed, if he were anyone other than the best pilot in the resistance.

The distinctive ship that he saw on the ground was enough to make his blood run cold.  
The ship of Kylo Ren; the one who had forced him to betray the resistance. Swallowing the lump in his throat Poe turned his attention to the task of protecting his squadron.  
Fear made him more cautious and Black Squadron saw the change.

"Are you okay Poe?" Karé asked over a private line that only Black squadron was a part of.

"I will be." He choked out, trying to shake off the icy dread that slowed him down. "If anyone gets a chance take out that shuttle on the ground."

"Copy that." Everyone said and he set his attention to keeping as many of his team alive as possible.  
Consciously returning to the tight, seemingly reckless aerobatics he had a reputation for.

He saw a small unit of Stormtroopers appear; flanking Kylo Ren as he strode from the forest, carrying an unconscious woman to the ostentatious shuttle and the enemy fighters proceeded to retreat.  
The resistance fighters broke into two groups, the larger group pursuing the First Order and the smaller group haranguing the surviving troopers that made for the utilitarian shuttles they had landed in.

"All fighters fall back." Leia Organa's voice came over the comm. and the response was instant.  
Poe joined the others in covering the transport shuttles that came in to land on the verdant planet, the battered old ships spewing resistance ground troops who instantly covered the area, adapting quickly to the situation that met them, med packs were passed around to survivors and the troops immediately started to assist with the clean up.  
Poe circled around like a watchful bird of prey, seeing his comrades haul wreckage out of doorways, lifting debris off of the trapped and dragging the dead to be disposed of respectfully.

After the resistance had helped with the clean up as much as they could, the small party returned to base and Poe automatically looked around as he landed, relieved to see the shuttle he and his wife had acquired on Jakku still settled in landing bay six.

He dropped down and met the technician that was waiting for him, quietly discussing the work his fighter needed, handing off his helmet and gloves before an excited squeal met his ears.  
He looked around, seeing BB8 flying over the ground to him, beeping ecstatically.

"BB8 my buddy!" He cried, dropping down and listening to his droid's rapid fire beeps. "What?" He asked softly, listening to the response from the tiny droid. "Where is he?"  
He looked around then, in the direction BB8 indicated, catching sight of someone he thought he'd never see again he rose. "Oh no!" He chuckled, absolutely delighted that his saviour had not only survived but actually completed the mission, bringing BB8 safely home.

"Poe Dameron you're alive!" Finn yelled as the two men ran to each other, wrapping each other in the tight embrace of two friends who had survived hell together.

"Buddy! So are you!" Poe replied, patting him on the back and stepping back with a wide infectious grin. "

"What happened to you?" Finn demanded, wrapping his strong hands around Poe's biceps.

"What happened? We got thrown from the crash! I woke up at night, no you no ship." Poe explained. "Hirani was barely alive, we were picked up by an itinerant trader; BB8 says that you saved him!"

"No, no, no." Finn said, shaking his head. "It wasn't just me."

"You completed my mission." Poe spoke over the former stormtrooper. "Finn- that's my jacket."  
Finn started to apologise, his hands immediately going to remove it. "No keep it." Poe brushed him off, gripping the lapels and pulling the jacket back into place on Finn. "It suits you. You're a good man Finn." He finished with a slap to the other man's arm.

"I need your help Poe." Finn said then, his hands going back to Poe's arms.  
The pair spoke swiftly as Poe lead Finn to see General Organa, the pilot's eyes restlessly scanning for the woman they had rescued from the cruiser when they had busted out of First Order captivity.  
They disappeared inside and Poe immediately lead Finn to a busy control room buried deep within the base.

"General Organa!" he called, nodding to the other leaders of the resistance as the unlikely pair approached. "I'm sorry to interrupt. This is Finn; he needs to talk to you." He continued, indicating the young man beside him.  
Leia looked from Poe to Finn, her wide, expressive brown eyes seeming to unsettle the youth, the eyes of a woman who had seen too much.

"I need to talk to him too." She replied, clearly dismissing Poe with her posture. "It was incredibly brave what you did. Renouncing the First Order like that, saving this man's life." Poe caught the accusing eyes of Snap and he nodded once.  
They would have words soon he knew it without a doubt.  
Nodding to Snap he quietly took his leave, hurrying to hopefully find his wife.

~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~

Hirani had left the shuttle and was wandering the edges of the base, passing between trees, listening to the sweet song of the teeming life that filled the forest, the distant sounds of the base falling away as she strolled aimlessly.  
Her hair was still vehemently protesting her mistreatment of it back on the shuttle, but she felt freer than she had in five years.  
The pain was bitter but oh so sweet at the same time. She tired of walking and settled among the roots of a huge, ancient tree, settling back against the base of the trunk, hidden by the colossal buttress roots.  
Hirani ran over her half formed plan to find her small sons and take them back from the First Order.  
Poe would try to stop her; at the very least he would try to join her in the hunt.  
She knew his aid would be useful, but she couldn't bring herself to even contemplate asking him for his help. The resistance needed him more, and she knew what she was planning was suicide.

She didn't need a droid to tell her the odds of succeeding in stealing anything from the First Order, let alone two small children that had been taken to be trained as stormtroopers.

"Hirani!" At first she thought she was imagining Poe's voice, he sounded so far away. "Hirani where are you!"  
She stood slowly and followed the sounds of her husband searching in the forest for her, not bothering to speak as he continued calling for her.

 **Sorry guys, I forgot to double check everything when I posted yesterday. I'm going to report the problem to the higher ups on this site because this is ridiciulous.  
** **I think I might try a different way of uploading the chapters to the doc manager too.**


	8. Chapter 8

When Poe saw his wife he gasped in horror at seeing her now much shorter hair.

"What have you done?" He demanded, striding over to her across the uneven ground.  
He tenderly cradled her face in his palms, tilting her head up so he could see her eyes.  
Hirani lowered her eyelids, but he still caught the crushed look in her eyes.  
"Why?" He asked her more gently.

"I needed to." She replied quietly and he searched her face.

"Why did you need to?" He pressed, releasing her face and pulled her against his chest.

"To forget." She said, automatically wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her face in the curve between his neck and shoulder as tears started to trickle down her cheeks. "I need to find them."

"We'll find our sons together, as soon as we've won this war." Poe assured her gently, stroking her back comfortingly.

"No." She objected almost inaudibly. "Now. They've been with those monsters too long. I need to find them now."  
Poe nodded against her head, not saying anything.  
He understood what she meant, and he knew he would follow her into the unknown regions to find their sons if need be.

They simply stood there, holding each other as the permanent twilight of the forest on D'Qar deepened into night; Poe stroked Hiranis' back tenderly, listening as she cried quietly for their sons, and for the torture she had undergone at the hands of the monsters in the First Order.

"We should head back." He murmured when all the light was gone. "It's getting late and D'Qar is much colder than Yavin 4 at night."  
He felt as she nodded her head and he released her, seeking her hand in the darkness, twining his fingers with hers and pulling a small torch out of a hidden pocket in his flight suit to light their winding path back to the base.

~/~/~/~/~

Jess was the one who spotted them as they appeared out of the forest, she hurried over to the pair and gasped when she saw Hirani's hair, she looked between the pair, catching sight of Poe's grim face and the hopeless look on Hiranis'.  
She immediately stepped forward, wrapping an arm around the small woman.

"You need to go to the med bay." Jess said as she tugged her forward. Lu'lo found the trio next, and then Karé and the four pilots hustled Hirani to the med bay, hanging around as doctor Kalonia inspected Hirani.  
They were all tense, crowding around the two women as they waited for the doctor to finish.

"There isn't anything that can be done about the damage." The doctor said finally, stepping away and staring pointedly at the people surrounding the scanning bed. "I can give her something for the pain but that is all that can be done."

"She's allergic to several key components in most pain suppressors." Poe said softly. "The only one I know of that she can use is Favonian honeysuckle." Doctor Kalonia looked at the leader of the squadron surrounding her and nodded once.

"It's a good thing she's not the only one on base who needs to have it on hand then." the doctor uttered as she turned to a cabinet in the large room. "I want you to speak to a psytech Hirani." She continued as she came back with a strip of small white capsules. "This is very worrying behaviour. I'll arrange to have you see one of the techs on base first thing tomorrow morning"  
Hirani nodded once as the strip was pressed into her hand. Jess didn't miss when she sat it on a work station as they were leaving the med bay.  
Apparently Poe didn't either because he scooped it up without missing a beat, slipping it into a pocket as they walked.

"Let's get something for dinner." Lu'lo said loudly from the back of the small group, Poe made a noise of agreement beside him as Jess and Karé nodded on either side of Hirani, each hooking their arms through hers and leading her immediately back to the mess hall.

~/~/~/~/~/~

Poe, Karé and Lu'lo walked up to the canteen table and Poe immediately grabbed a small tray to put five cups on, filling them with Bantha milk and crushing two tablets into the one in the centre of the tray.  
Karé watched him as she filled two plates and said nothing.

"What did you just put in that milk?" Someone demanded and Poe turned to face Captain Davos Rin, the head mechanic on base.

"Favonian honeysuckle." Poe replied honestly. "It's a pain suppressant for my wife."  
The mechanic looked at him for several long moments then burst out laughing, causing others around them to look in their direction.

"Be serious Dameron. You don't have a wife." He chortled, earning matching glares from the other two members of black squadron beside Poe as they loaded up two more trays with plates of food. "I've heard the rumours about you. You sleep around. You're not the type to marry."

"You should know better than to put stock in rumours." Lu'lo chastised the much taller human beside his commander, ignoring the curious looks of the various species around them.

"I'll believe most of the women on base over a man who drugs the milk of a newcomer." Rin sneered, rising to his full height and towering over the pilots. "What's the matter Dameron? She turn you down? Maybe I should try if flyboy ain't her type."  
Poe lunged for him then, but he didn't get far as Karé and Lu'lo both grabbed him, dragging him back, neither one of them willing to let him go.

"Just leave Rin." Karé snapped.

"I would watch my attitude when speaking to a superior officer if I were you Lieutenant Kun." Rin purred menacingly. "It might get you in trouble one day."

"Unless you are here to get something to eat. I suggest you leave Captain." Poe ground out. "And I would appreciate it if you left my wife alone. She has been through enough; she doesn't need a wamp rat like you harassing her."

Rin scoffed and proceeded to fill his plate with food as the three pilots continued gathering the meals for everyone in their small group.

~/~/~/~/~/~/~

Hirani looked up when the other three returned, watching her husband place the tray of milk on the trestle table and handing out the cups as Lu'lo and Karé started laying plates on the table in front of everyone.

"What was that all about with the Wamp Rat?" Jess asked as she started eating.

"He's just trying to start poodoo." Poe growled, scowling down at the plate in front of him.

"He made a few comments about Hirani that rubbed all of us the wrong way." Lu'lo explained in a low voice. "We shouldn't leave her alone if we can help it. He's going to cause some trouble."  
Hirani looked around at her husband's friends before turning her eyes to pick at the food Karé had given her.

"You need to eat." Jess coaxed her gently before slipping a spoonful of her dinner into her mouth.

"I'm not hungry." Hirani muttered, earning concerned looks from the four pilots around her.

"At least drink your milk." Poe tried negotiating with her, pushing the cup closer to her. "It's better than nothing." Hirani shook her head, pushing the cup away.

"I'm not thirsty either." She refuted, not meeting their pitying gazes.

"Please at least have a little bit." Karé pleaded gently. "You might be hungrier than you realise." Hirani shook her head, starting to rise, but Poe looped an arm around her waist and held her effortlessly against his side.

"You won't be any good to our boys if you don't eat my angel." He murmured, the endearment sounding achingly sweet to her ears.  
She considered his words and nodded, dragging the plate closer and starting to eat slowly.  
Finn cautiously approached them a few minutes later, holding a small plate of food and a cup of water.

"May I join you?" He asked timidly and Poe grinned at him.

"Of course Finn!" He announced and Lu'lo and Karé shifted over so he could sit between them. "Guys, this is the man who saved us from those thugs." Finn looked down, glancing restlessly at everyone around him.

"Thank you." Jess said warmly, stretching across the table to shake his hand. "I'm Jess, this is Lu'lo." She indicated the Duros beside Finn. "And Karé." She indicated the other human woman.

"You already know Hirani and I." Poe added with an infectious grin and Hirani smiled briefly at him.  
Finn nodded, his eyes passing around the five of them.

"Are you doing okay?" The ex stormtrooper asked her gently and she shrugged non-committally.

"I could be worse." She muttered earning more concerned looks from everyone.

"I recently found out that Hirani and I have two sons." Poe said conversationally.

"Congratulations." Finn said, looking at the woman thoughtfully. "You must be eager to get home to them."

"The First Order took them at the same time they took me." She said flatly, prying Poe's hand from her hip and trying to rise, but he dragged her down again.

"Eat." Poe ordered her before turning back to Finn. "Is there anything you can think of that might help us recover them?"

"They're likely to be on the third and ninth bases in the second system." He said quietly. "Unless they're those boys that the Supreme Leader took an interest in, then I don't know where they are."

"Why would Snoke take an interest in them?" Poe asked, leaning forward.

"When they were sent for initial conditioning they destroyed the buildings that it happens in." Finn explained.  
"I wasn't there for either of them, but survivors reported the same thing, the buildings kind of crumpled, as if they had been gripped by a gigantic fist, and then they exploded outwards, apparently Kylo Ren himself was sent out to the bases a week later and the boys haven't been seen since.  
Rumour has it they were taken to some old fortress in the outer rim."

"What were their names?" Hirani asked suddenly. "Did you hear that at all?"

"GD9115 and KD2213" Finn said automatically. "That's the name the Order gave them but they refused to answer to them if the rumours I heard were correct."

"What would they answer to?" Poe asked tersely.

"I don't know, sorry." Finn looked so apologetic. "I was called to go down to Jakku when we were talking about it in the barracks. I broke you two out before I had a chance to bring it up again."  
Poe sat back, running a thumb over her hip soothingly.

"Thank you." She said finally, allowing herself to lean against Poe, and accepting the much needed comfort from him.

Later, Poe led Hirani through the base to his quarters, BB8 following the pair of them after being released from the engineers.  
When the trio arrived at the nondescript door, he ushered her in to a small, simply furnished room.  
Against the wall opposite the door was a narrow cot with a charging port at the foot of the little bed.  
Mounted into an adjacent wall were two durasteel panels and then right beside the door was a small comm. screen.  
Hirani looked around the small space as BB8 rolled onto his charger and powered down for the night.  
Poe closed the door and turned to his wife unfastening the hooks at the neck of his flight suit.

"It's not much." He said, suddenly feeling inadequate. "It'll be a tight squeeze for us, but we'll manage."  
Hirani stared at him with her honey eyes and swallowed.

"It's probably better if I sleep on the ship." She breathed as he took the one step that would close the gap between them.

"It's warmer in here though." He murmured as he tilted her chin up. "Plus I'm here."

Hirani opened her mouth to respond, but her words were lost as Poe kissed her softly.  
Something in her snapped and she wrapped her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss as she pressed against him.  
Poe responded, running his hands over her narrow rib cage, down to her hips.  
With a deep, hungry growl he lifted her, pulling her hips flush against his as he ground against her.  
Hirani wrapped her legs around him as he broke the kiss to trail hot kisses along her jaw, sucking lightly on her ear lobe and then returning to her lips, he took to steps to the cot and carefully lowered her to the stiff mattress, kneeling on the unforgiving floor between her thighs, slipping his hands under her jacket and pushing it off her shoulders.  
She slid her arms out of the thick jacket and felt for the tab of the zip keeping his flight suit closed and pulled it down, Poe's hands found the hem of her shirt and he pulled it up over her head, sliding his palms over her bare, scarred flesh, pausing when he got to her breasts.  
Poe dipped his head and kissed the tip of each small, firm globe.  
"These are bigger than I remember." He murmured, his hot breath ghosting over her tender flesh.

"I fed two babies from them." She pointed out with a breathy laugh. Poe wrapped his lips around one nipple and he sucked the tip hard, drawing a moan from her.  
He pulled her shirt the rest of the way off of her and tossed it aside, kissing his way down her small body as he lifted her hips and pulled her pants down her thighs.

Hirani hurriedly kicked her boots off and pushed at the cloth covering his shoulders, Poe reluctantly let go of her and helped her push his suit down his arms to pool at his waist, and then his hands were all over her again.

"Sing for me." He uttered against her core as soon as he had discarded her pants, then he ran his tongue over her core, dipping into her hot, wet folds.  
Hirani cried out, a low, wicked sound at the stimulus.  
Poe grunted as she gripped his dark curls and tugged, writhing against his mouth as he worshipped her body the way he had so long ago, driving her to peaks of ecstasy as he peppered kisses over every inch of her body, pausing to lavish attention on the parts he remembered were most sensitive.  
He traced each new scar on her body, mapping them with his fingers and lips.

"Poe I need you." She whimpered, rocking her hips up as she tried to drag him up over her.  
Poe hurriedly freed himself from the confines of his clothes, pushing into her hot core and groaning.  
Hirani cried out again as he filled her. Poe pressed one hand to her stomach, just above where their bodies were joined when she tried to move against him.

"Hold on my angel." He murmured with a short laugh. "I won't last long at all if you don't stop moving."

"I don't care." She responded, reaching around him and gripping his ass, trying to get him to move.  
Poe gave in then, moving his hand from between them to instead wrap his arm around her waist as he pulled out of her, pausing when just his tip nestled in her soft, yielding folds, and driving back into her, setting a hard, fast pace that drew ecstatic cries from her.

 **Hey guys, yeah I know, it's not a particularly angsty story, I'm getting there. The next chapter is the final one.**


	9. Chapter 9

Poe lay awake under his wife, nowhere near sated after such a brief round of vigorous love making.  
He stroked her spine with his fingertips as she rested peacefully on his chest.  
After fucking her senseless he'd kicked out of the rest of his clothes and slid under her, pulling the rough blanket over them both as they lay there.

Languidly Hirani stretched against him, rolling her hips invitingly against him and he felt a twitch from his flaccid cock.  
Poe moved the arm around her hips down to grip her ass, the other hand going up to massage her neck.  
She pushed up, her hands on either side of his head and he felt another twitch from his cock.

"Already?" He asked her with a smirk. Copying the question she had asked him on their wedding night so long ago.  
Hirani smiled mischievously and dipped her head down to trail kisses along his jaw and down his throat.  
Poe tightened his grip on the nape of her neck and coaxed her back up as he leaned up to kiss her, feeling his cock start to grow again.

There was a beep from the comm. unit next to the door to his room and he groaned, flopping back on the cot at the interruption.  
Hirani laughed softly and leaned down over him, nibbling along his jaw.

"Just ignore it." She implored him quietly before she moved down to his chest, reaching between them to caress his half hard cock.  
Poe sighed and grabbed her wrist.

"As much as I want ignore that to I really shouldn't" He said as he tried to extricate himself from her arms and going to the still flashing comm. and accepting the call.

"Snap has returned from his mission." Jess said brusquely, studiously ignoring her naked commander and his equally naked wife behind him. "You need to see this too." She touched a few keys and Poe swore when he saw the information that came up.

"What in all the hells is that?" He demanded, aware of Hirani coming up behind him.

"Read the info and get to the conference room as quickly as possible." Jess said. "I've included Finns' report in the data."

Poe hurried to dress himself, scanning the reports, starting with Finns' and finishing with Snaps' as he pulled his boots on.  
He scraped a hand through his hair and kissed his wife.

"I'll be back as soon as possible." He told her as he walked to the door. "Wait for me."

~/~/~/~/~/~/~

Hirani watched him go and immediately started pulling her clothes on once the door closed behind him, moving carefully as her body protested the movement.  
Once she was dressed she knelt at the little droid's charging port and manually activated the droid.

"I need your help." She told it.

BB8 whirred curiously in response and she smiled at it.

"I have to leave to find my sons." She explained. "I was hoping you could pass something on to Poe after I've gone for me." She turned to the door and led the droid out. "Could you please lead the way to the hangar for me?"

BB8 beeped a quick affirmative and she followed it to the open air hangar.

At the ship she pulled out a pair of small glowing devices and knelt in front of the droid.

"Give this to Poe as soon as I'm gone." She ordered, holding one up to the droid.  
BB8 opened a small storage compartment in its body and she dropped it in carefully. "When you do, please tell him I'll return as soon as possible, and that I never stopped loving him." She instructed the droid, standing up and disembarking the small ship  
BB8 made a sound of acquiescence and followed her.

~/~/~/~/~/~/~

"The scan data from Snaps reconnaissance flight matches the information from Finn's report." Poe was saying to the assembled leaders of the resistance, indicating his friend.

"They've somehow created a hyper-lightspeed weapon inside the planet itself." Snap explained to everyone as they all studied the enormous map between them.

"A laser cannon?" An aide asked.

"I'm not sure how to describe a weapon of this scale." Snap admitted, huffing briefly.

"It's another death star." Major Caluan Ematt concluded with a horrified look.

"I wish that were the case Major." Poe replied sadly, tapping some keys on the console in front of him. A small hologram of the death star hovered over the table, replacing the topographical map. "This was the death star." He tapped a few more keys and the weapon shrank down and moved over to show and image of star killer base. "And this is star killer base." He concluded to the dismayed groans of most of the people in the room.

"So it's big." General Han Solo scoffed.

"How is it possible to power a weapon of that size?" Admiral Gial Ackbar asked and Poe heard the hope in his voice.

"It uses the power of the sun." Poe responded uncomfortably. "As the weapon is charged the sun is drained until it disappears."

Poe saw a serious technician hand a small readout to Leia and he couldn't help the gut feeling that it was bad news.  
Leia's face showed her years as she looked up at the assembled resistance fighters.

"The weapon is being charged again." She said slowly, seeming a thousand years old as she said it. "The next system targeted is ours."  
There was a murmur of dread and Poe's immediate thought was of his wife, he'd tried so hard to keep her out of this war and now it was likely that it would kill her.  
His next thought was of the sons he had only just learned about, two innocents whose only crime had been to be born to him, the sons he likely would never meet, prisoners of the Order.  
Then he thought of everyone around him, his eyes landing on Finn who had turned his back on everything he knew, and it was possibly going to get him killed that much faster than if he'd stayed with the Order.  
So many lives were about to be torn apart. So many families that had already been torn apart by this war.

"How do we blow it up?" Han Solo asked over the subdued din. "There's always a way to do that."

"Han's right." Leia agreed, the calm, steady general once again, her eyes firmly on her husband.

"In order for that amount of power to be contained, that base has to have some kind of thermal oscillator." Admiral Statura mused, his eyes fixed firmly on the hologram in front of them.

"There is one!" Finn said, rounding the table, suddenly excited and Poe felt some of the weight on his shoulders lighten. "Precinct forty-seven; here." He pointed to the building quite far away from the cannon-like gun.

"If we can destroy that oscillator it might destabilise the core and cripple the weapon." That was Statura again.

"Maybe the planet." Ematt added.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw BB8 bounce down the stairs, followed by Hirani.  
The little astromech disappeared into the crowd but she just stood and watched the rest of the meeting as they planned their attack on star killer base.

"We'll go in there and hit it with everything we've got." Poe said, suddenly determined to do anything he could to end the war and bring his sons home that much faster.

"They have defensive shields that our ships cannot penetrate." Ackbar pointed out.

"We disable the shields." Han countered before turning to Finn. "Kid, you worked there. What do you got?" Finn straightened and looked around at everyone before he spoke.

"I can do it, but I have to be there." He answered.

"We can get you there." Han replied evenly after looking at Chewbacca and nodding once.

"Han how?" Leia demanded, seeming exasperated with the bold claim from her husband.  
Poe looked at him and couldn't help the unease he felt.

"If I told you," Han started. "You wouldn't like it." Everyone looked at him, seeming uneasy.

"So we disable the shield, we take down the oscillator; we blow the big gun." Poe laid out the plan, looking briefly at his wife as the Wookie roared agreement. "Alright let's move."  
They broke the meeting, everyone running to their appointed tasks and Poe stopped at the foot of the stairs to take in his wife.  
"I asked you to wait for me." He said teasingly and she shrugged.

"You were taking too long." She responded lightly. "You have to go again don't you." He took in her sad, honey coloured eyes and nodded.  
She looked away from him, her eyes landing on Finn and passing around to everyone in the room that she knew personally.

"I always come back." Poe tried to reassure her, but he caught the uncertain look she flashed at him before she smiled brilliantly.

"I'll hold you to that flyboy." She tapped his shoulder then and they started out of the conference room together walking hand in hand.

 **I know I said this would be the final chapter but there is way too much from the movie that I wanted to include so it's not.  
** **Sorry for that guys.**


	10. Chapter 10

The pilots were ready to go in record time, nobody willing to waste the time with the unnecessary.  
Poe ran to Hirani and pulled her close, pouring all his hope and love into one deep, lingering kiss that she returned fervently, and then he released her, stepping back.

"What was that for?" She asked breathlessly.

"For luck." He replied before turning to head back to his X-wing.  
He set one foot on the ladder and turned to face her once more, she was directly on his heels and he cupped her jaw tenderly, stroking his thumb over her cheek as she cradled his hand to her face with one smaller one, turning into his touch.  
"I love you my angel." He said by way of farewell.

"Be safe Poe." She pleaded softly. When Hirani released him he practically flew up the ladder and slid into the cockpit.  
The fighters lifted off almost as one and left the atmosphere of D'Qar, the chatter serving to remind him that they had his back, and he had theirs.  
Poe knew not all of them would return from this mission, but he would do everything in his power to ensure as many as possible would live to fight another day.  
They jumped to light speed, one after the other.

~/~/~/~/~/~/~

Hirani watched them go, waiting to see the hail of incandescent streaks that indicated the X-wings making the jump before she turned and hurried to her shuttle.  
She hurriedly ran through the pre-flight check and boarded, running the start up sequence, pausing to transmit a brief, coded message to Leia.  
She left the planet hurriedly, jumping to hyperspace once she was safely beyond the atmosphere.

~/~/~/~/~/~

Poe and the remaining pilots returned from star killer base, sharing in their subdued exultation, this was an undeniable victory against the First Order that would be sure to bring new hope to the galaxy.  
When Poe looked around at all the people who had rushed out to greet them he caught Leia's eye as she walked over briskly.

"Where's Hirani?" He asked the woman, scanning the crowd for his wife.

"She left directly after you made the jump to hyperspace." the general replied quietly. "She told me she was doing it right before she left."  
Poe scraped a hand through his hair and looked anywhere but at the general.

"Doing what?" Poe asked then.

"I presume she meant leaving." Leia replied. "She told me she left something for you with BB8 to be given to you once she was gone."

Poe nodded and looked at the droid between their feet.  
"What did she give you buddy?" He asked the droid then.  
A small draw opened and there was a series of beeps and whistles as Poe retrieved the cloaked binary beacon that was offered to him.

 **Hi guys, final chapter! Yay! I will be continuing the story, but right now my son needs my focus and the next installment, Ghost, is just in note form, hardly cohesive at the moment, I'll be working on it again at my pace.**

 **Let me know what you thought of it, I live for the feedback from you guys.**

 **Á bientôt**


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